Does anyone know if there is a doctor in the CVO area who is open to using complementary therapies alongide standard medical treatment? I like to use both but am new to the area and haven't found a doctor yet.

Also can anyone recommend any good doctors please, even if they don't use complementary therapies?

Many thanks in advance for any information.
Clare

I believe there is an English speaking Doctor behind Smilers Bar, supposed to be quite good

Thank you, Anna. Does anyone else know of any good doctors, English speaking, in the Lagoa/CVO area please?
Clare

The Doctor behind Smilers bar is German but speaks excellent English. You may leave minus a few limbs as he charges an arm and a leg

Most of the doctors at the Clinica de Lagoa ( down a side road off the pedestrian street in Lagoa) speak English.

Dr Robert Popken (Dutch) in Estrada do Farol on the left side more or less opposite the bank speaks perfect English. His speciality is internal medicine but is a general doctor.

Dr Peter Pertl (German) speaks perfect English and is up at Monte Carvoeiro - the side by the Reception. He specialises in babies, children and ladies bits and pieces.

I went to Dr Peter last year for a stomach complaint and he was great. Totally on the ball.

Hi all

Thanks so much, everyone.

You say it may cost 'an arm and a leg' - how much does it cost then, to see a doc, do they charge by the hour?

You're all being SO helpful.
Thank you.
Clare

I had a bad cut on my leg. He looked at it, put a steristrip on it, and that was it. Total time 5 minutes max. Bill 70 euros

That's a real rip off! At least, I hope it's not the normal sort of charge.
I'm moving out to live near CVO soon - do you go and register with a particular doctor like you do in the UK?

Unfortunately there is a shortage of what we would regard as NHS doctors in the Carvoeiro/Lagoa area. You simply cannot get a family doctor and you have to pay for private appointments. Unless you visit the same doctor every time you don't get any real patient record or any routine follow up. No problem for the odd ailment but a real problem if you have any significant medical problems.

At the Clinic in Lagoa the charge for a visit is 45 euros but I think follow ups may be 30 euros. You can get repeat prescriptions there without charge.

The only alternative to the private clinics is to go to the Health Centre at Lagoa. An emergency consultation costs 2.70 euros and you see in effect a duty doctor. It can be difficult if you don't speak Portuguese or at least have a try. In my experience the treatment is a bit rudimentary. I go to get a prescription for blood pressure tablets and never once has a doctor checked my blood pressure before writing a prescription.

Drugs from the chemist can be expensive even with the discount given once you have registered with the state health system. Some are cheaper than in England but others are very expensive. There is no free supply of drugs for people over 60 as in England. Ill health can cost a lot of money here and you really need private health insurance. As a retiree I had to evidence that I had insurance to get my residencia but I believe that this is not the case if you work and pay the Portuguese national insurance.

On the positive side you can claim a credit against your tax for a proportion of medical expenses - I think that it is 30% which in the case of my wife and I last year worked out at about 400 euros excluding expenses covered by private health insurance. This is probably not typical but does illustrate the expense if you require a number of different drugs every month. Hope this helps.

Steve, not sure where you get your information, but my experience is a bit different,

I have been twice in the past eighteen months to the centro de saude (health centre) in Lagoa. The standard charge for a visitor with an EEC passport is 2.7 euros for an appointment. If you have a residency card it is free. prescription drugs are expensive, and not subsidised if you are not a resident. However most pharmacists often have a generic version ofthe same drug, at a much lower price. resently my wife nedded three drugs in a prescription. The pharmacist said he didn't have one of them from the manufacturer specified, but he had a generic version. The original was 23 euros (with the subsidy), the generic was six euros.

Most pharmacists here are pretty good for basic doctor stuff too.

It's probably true about getting to see a regualr doctor, and your medical records. When we came out here to live, we got copies of all our medical records from our GP in England, and have them readily available. You can always ask for a copy of the prescription and any notes when you see a doctor here, and keep your own records.

Bob

Thanks for your comments. I go to the health centre about 6 or 7 times a year and with a residencia and Portuguese health card I still pay 2.7 euros a time. Even the local Portuguese ahead of me have always paid the same so you must have very blue eyes or a particularly effective charm. I will mention your name next time and I will look up the Portuguese for "on your bike" before I go!

I agree with you about generic drugs but most farmacias in my experience are unwilling to vary from what the doctor has specified on the prescription and it is the luck of the draw whether the drug you need is expensive or not. You can ask the doctor to prescribe the generic version but these are not always available. One drug that my wife takes costs 99 euros subsidised for a month' supply.

Medical expenses are a factor in the equation of living here and and I accept them for the benefits of the life here. My point in posting my comments was to put up a marker that medical costs and the securing of proper treatment will be significant issues for some one who has serious ongoing medical conditions and that it is better to be aware of the position before moving here.

We are planning to move to the Algarve later this year and this is of great interest.
Our son has been treated by an emergency doctor in Albufeira for 45 euros. We've also spent a great deal of time and money in several pharmacies! Are the costs for children generally the same as for adults?
We have looked into private health insurance but for the whole family (2 young-ish adults and 2 children) it seems very expensive. So far we have only had one quote though.
If anyone has any recommendations for health insurance I'd be grateful.

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I've learnt a lot.
Debs, I'm moving to CVO in October - we're currently investigating the insurance with the Exeter Friendly Society:
+44 1392 353535 www.exeterfriendly.co.uk

I have lots of back problems and sciatica so need a doctor who understands this. Any ideas, anyone?

Private v State healthcare in Portugal………I was about to sign up with one of the better-known healthcare companies last year…..but whilst trying to decide what level of cover to go for, the sales rep managed to talk me out of it altogether. It seems, even with the top-of-the-range gold-plated cover, there are things you are not covered for. And I imagine when they suggests you have another routine scan/xray/blood test or whatever, you then begin to regret having this cover in the first place because they charge you 10-20 (?) times more than those without “cover”…….if you know wot I mean.
……please discuss….